MANILA, Philippines -- Action film star Fernando Poe Jr.
announced Wednesday he will run for Philippine president in next May's
election, setting up a campaign certain to draw parallels to two other movie
idols: former President Joseph Estrada here and Arnold Schwarzenegger in
California.

Poe, a political newcomer and close friend of Estrada's,
said he was yielding to public pressure, including the signatures of two
million voters gathered by supporters.

"Since last year, when I went around the Philippines,
I saw what the people need and I saw their clamor, and I cannot turn my
back," Poe told supporters and media. "Actually, it is not ambition,
it is more ... serving the people and dedicating your life for them."

The 64-year-old Poe - known in the Philippines as FPJ and
"Da King" - said he does not yet have a political party backing him,
but members of Estrada's Party of the Filipino Masses promised support.

"He wants unity ... and he appeals to all the Filipino
people," said Basil de Mesa, vice chairman of Estrada's party
organization in nearby Bulacan province.

Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III, who helped
convince Poe to run, said the opposition hopes to have a single candidate to
increase its chances of beating President Gloria Macapagal and that Poe has
agreed to submit to its selection process.

Arroyo, who came to power in January 2001 when Estrada was
forced out by massive protests over his alleged corruption, recently reversed
a decision not to run and will seek her own six-year term.

Despite his popularity, Poe has so far ranked poorly in
opinion polls on possible candidates. His strength is the same as Estrada's -
the urban poor - but businessmen and others worry about his lack of
experience.

His announcement will likely stoke fears of a repeat of
Estrada's failed presidency and cause jitters when financial markets reopen
Thursday.

Poe, like Estrada, frequently endeared himself as an
underdog hero crippling enemies with rapid punches and fancy tricks with a .45
caliber pistol. He has also played true-to-life heroes, including decorated
policemen, and appeared in several World War II movies as a soldier or
guerrilla fighting Japanese invaders.

A five-time winner in the local version of the Oscars, one
of his most memorable roles was a true story - a teacher who became a rebel
leader fighting greedy landlords and bureaucrats in the 1920s, when the
Philippines was still an American colony.

In his last movie, released in May, he was the buddy of a
billiards player portrayed by real-life Filipino pool champion Efren
"Bata" Reyes.

Poe started appearing in movies in his teens and has never
held public office. But he has been under pressure from politicians,
supporters and Estrada to seek the presidency.

"In the life of man, there comes a time that he will
have to make a very tough decision. And that day has come for me," Poe
said, adding he hopes to unite the divided nation because "I am not a
politician."

His candidacy is sure to also draw parallels to
Schwarzenegger, an Austrian native who became governor of California last week
after capitalizing on popularity stemming from a slew of Hollywood action
blockbusters.

Estrada, in detention on corruption charges, was among
those to cheer Schwarzenegger's inauguration, urging him to serve by bringing
his on-screen heroics to politics.

"The so-called learned people, with all their master's
degrees, have no monopoly on leadership," Estrada said last month.